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 By Regina Pickett Garson

I’ve never liked the idea of New Year’s Resolutions. If you make them, you feel that you are somehow accountable, and what if you don’t live up? Who’s keeping score anyway? It could be the most unrelenting taskmaster of all. On a very real level, the worst person you ever want to disappoint is yourself. Maybe that is why I don’t like New Year’s Resolutions.

Despite the fact that I don’t like them and I invariably refuse to make them, the New Year is nevertheless a time to reflect, to think about where you’ve been in the past year and to set your sights on where you’d like to go. This much self-analysis I can handle.

As the holiday festivities wind down, I enjoy curling up with a nice cup of my favorite coffee and spending some quality time with myself, thinking about what I’ve accomplished in the last year, and also thinking about things from last year’s list, uh non-list, that I really wish I had accomplished. What went wrong? How do I get back on the path I want?

I think back over the last year and I think hard. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try; life really does get in the way of itself. But you know, when I am working just as hard as I can, and things still don’t work out, I don’t have to apologize to anyone, all I have to do is remind myself to keep trying.

Keeping in mind that old adage about try, try again – sometimes it’s not that we need to try again, we’ve already been doing that -- again and again and again. Sometimes we really do need to try something else. That said, I do think hard about what I need to do to keep myself on course. Sometimes I need to stay on the same old course and try it one more time and sometimes I need to try something different. Either way, as another old saying goes, “I ain’t no quitter.”

I’m also a dreamer and after I really look hard at the things I need to keep after, the things I need to change, the things I need to fix, and the closets I need to clean out, I spend some time dreaming about the things I want to make a reality. I think about those dreams. And most definitely, I dream those dreams.

Deep down, I am a list maker, a planner and a dreamer. And just about the time I take the last sip on those reminisces and regrets about the old year, I fill my cup one more time. Now, I am thinking about the New Year, what I want to accomplish, what I need to accomplish, and what I want to do, just because I want to.

Out comes the paper and pen. Somehow, it makes it more real when you write it down. And write it down I do.

Nothing is immune from my New Year’s non-resolution list making, sometimes it’s an inch or two that must go, am I getting all the exercise I need? Other times it is that novel I meant to finish, and despite making my non-resolution list at least every other year, it will be there until I’m done. Oh, and that trip I always wanted to take! How much will I have to budget to make that one excursion happen. I can’t even remember the last time I made it to the beach. And that trail I’ve always wanted to hike. That old friend I’ve been meaning to write, the garden I want to plant, the new recipe I want to cook – just because I know we’ll all love it. The special evening I want to spend with my honey. Nothing, absolutely nothing is immune from my list making and you can count on things being there for no other reason than that those are things I really, really would like to do. Get the idea? These are the things that make my life my own; these are the things that make life good.

Likely, as not, though, I’ll also include the next exact step I need to take to keep my career on the path I want. And, down to business, keeping my finances in order, and my house from falling in around me. I also try to take note of my friends and family: are my relationships all where they should be? Are the people who depend on me happy and are their lives heading in the direction they need to be going? If not, what can I do to help, what is in my power to do and what is realistic? This is not a nosedive into co-dependency, this is about looking at my family and friends and trying to make sure that I am doing my part. You know, the old saw about, “It takes a whole a village….” Well, it does.

Just about done now, this is not a long assignment, just a few moments with a nice cup of coffee, a pen and a piece of scratch paper. Just a little bit of thinking, a little bit of planning -- and just about done reminiscing when some unspent tears make their way to the surface. That’s okay too. Because, invariably, that too is part of my little bit of time, with my favorite cup of coffee, facing the New Year once again. Life is hard, no doubt, and I’d be lying if I said the last year hadn’t been hard. Nonetheless, in a lot of ways, it has also been a good year and I have a new one to look forward to. With that, I scribble out my last non-resolution, polish off the last drop of coffee and with bitter-sweet resolve, I am once more ready to face the New Year.

Copyright 2005 Regina Pickett Garson

About the Author:

Regina Pickett Garson edits and publishes Magic Stream www.magicstream.org -- which is among the oldest online self-help and wellness resources. She teaches at Virginia College in Huntsville, Alabama.

 

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The first principle of Reiki states, namely today do not worry. This phrase is meaningful when practicing Reiki, or in day to day living. There are several purposes behind the origins of and using this phrase as the first principle for Reiki. This principle has expanded to be life a philosophy for people who practice Reiki. This principle can be said to have originated with the beginning of Reike, out of several different sources and ideas. It is the same philosophy behind several different proverbs and it is said that the ancient god of Avesta stated the same thing. They all believe that good words and good deeds originate from happy thoughts. In relation to these principles, Reiki has developed a method in which letting go of anxiety and worry allows one to see goodness.

This principle, relates to Reiki practices in several ways. Reiki is used to heal and alleviate of blocked energies. When one is worried, it creates extra blocked energy. Then, one who is either in a Reiki class or using a practitioner for healing is kept from being able to create a better flow of energy. By choosing not to worry, the universal energy is allowed to begin to move through you and unblock the energies that changing. In relation to this, is the idea of constantly refraining from worrying. After you have completed a Reiki class, it may be easy to allow the anxieties of every day life to build. However, it is stated that by doing this, it will also consistently block one from seeing the universal energies of the world.

After you have completed a session with a Reiki practitioner, or in a Reiki class, you should be able to feel the universal energies, as well as greater joy and contentment in your life. If this is blocked by worry and anxiety, you will continue to have problems receiving Reiki from the universe. It may also cause the blocking of other energies again.

When one makes the decision to let go of worry, they are open themselves to the universal energies that are surrounding them, both during the Reiki session or outside of it. By doing this, negative energies surrounding them will be unblocked. Those who follow this principle have found that it results in change in their world. They notice it in their mind set as well as in their reactions that they begin to develop to others.

The first principle of Reiki is based on letting in all that is good in the universe and for letting go of the negative energies that may be inside of you. Following the first principle of Reiki will allow you to live a more relaxed life. It will also allow the idea of Reiki to permeate your life. By choosing not to worry, it opens you up to the universe and to letting joy and goodness into your life.

About the Author:

Mary Brown contributes articles to several well-known web sites, on wellness and health and fitness and health themes.

Whole Foods Supplements

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Dieticians and physicians agree that a high fiber diet is the best diet not only for a healthy weight but also for a healthy heart and over all health and general well being. According to the Surgeon General, the American Dietetic Association and the National Cancer Institute, fiber should become an essential part of your daily diet, and adults should consume 20-35 grams of fiber everyday for optimal health. For children the standard rule of ‘age plus five’ applies, for example a child of six should take eleven grams of fiber everyday.

Most of us do not know the harmful effects of prepared and preserved snack foods. If we knew that these foods make our arteries thick with cholesterol and sugars, we wouldn’t be rushing to restaurants for a tasty bite. It is time to revive the taste for fresh foods such fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These foods contain fiber and we need to introduce fiber in our daily diet. Many of us don’t even get half the daily recommended numbers.

The reason why doctors and dieticians strongly recommend a high fiber diet is because fiber works effectively and efficiently in the cleansing process. The two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble, play a significant role in eliminating toxins and cholesterol from the body. The water soluble forms of fiber absorb water soluble fats like excess cholesterol, and trap it, and escort it from the body in a healthy bowel movement. Insoluble forms of fiber (known as roughage) work like a broom to sweep the intestine clean of debris. Research has shown that high fiber diets decrease the risk of colon diseases, including Crohn’s, Colitis and even cancer.

Fiber is very good for a healthy cardiovascular system. It helps to maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Since fiber slows down the conversion of carbohydrate into sugar, it promotes a stable blood sugar in the body. This helps us feel full for longer periods and thus becomes helpful in reducing weight.

No wonder, fiber is becoming more and more popular as an aid to weight management. You can consume larger servings of fruits and vegetables without increasing your caloric intake. Fiber rich foods such as whole grains and produce are also very filling. They are particularly helpful in controlling appetite because they increase CCK, a hormone found in our intestine which promotes satiety by sending a message to your brain that you are full. Thus, you eat less, and feel full longer.

Doctors recommend a high fiber diet for all those fighting elevated cholesterol, the battle of the bulge, or digestive irregularity. Indeed, it has almost become a slogan to say, ‘Five a Day’, that is five servings of fruit and vegetables per day is a must. If you can take more, it’s even better. Once you realize the health benefits of high fiber foods, you will be too happy to have switched over to the best diet well in time for you can avoid many problems with just a simple dietary change.

About the Author:

Brandon H. Masters is a Health Enthusiast, Researcher and Veteran of the Natural Products Industry. He is passionate about educating others on the benefits of wellness solutions through better nutrition and detoxification.

 

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"Great is the matter of birth and death,
Time passes quickly.
Wake-up! Wake-up!
Don't waste a minute."

-on the wall outside of the Zendo at the Zen Center of Denver

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The information in this newsletter is not intended in any way to be a substitute for medical advice. Always see your doctor before you begin any exercise routine or make drastic changes in your diet.

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